A portable electronic device is capable of interacting with a user and transportable due to its diminutive size and portable power supply. Portable electronic devices come in a variety of form factors, such as brick, bar, flip/clamshell, slider or rotator/swivel form factors, and each form factor can have one or more input components, such as a touch screen or QWERTY keypad. Regardless of the small form factor, the device generally includes a user interface to interact with a user or otherwise facilitate the user's use and enjoyment of the device.
Some portable electronic device having multiple user interfaces operating simultaneously, but the energy required to maintain these user interfaces takes its toll on battery life. For example, a device having two separate overlays, such as a resistive and capacitive touch sensor, operating simultaneously in the same device will consume more power than another device having only one overlay. Thus, a portable electronic device having multiple user interfaces can provided more options and better performance than a device having a single user interface, the power consumption of the multiple user interface device is higher, thus resulting in lower battery life.
Other portable electronic devices may detect when their battery level falls below a preselected level in order to manage power consumption. Upon detecting such a condition, a device can give the user an option to select a different display mode of the screen. For example, the device can prompt the user to change its display mode from color to monochrome in order to enhance the battery life. However, even though these devices can manage power consumption, they do not provide multiple user interfaces and, thus, the more options and better performance provided by having multiple user interfaces. Further, these devices do not provide any way to manage power consumption for multiple user interfaces.